"Now what?" Harry asked in a small voice.

Sirius swept his godson into a reassuring hug. "Now we figure out what to do next," he said. "I'm going to be optimistic here; that thing has been there since you were a baby and nothing terrible has happened to you because of it, so I have to think that it can't harm you for whatever reason. It certainly hasn't made you go evil or anything like that." He grinned a bit despite the seriousness of the situation. "Merlin's beard, you're about as far from evil as it's possible to be… and the proof of that is that you've not hexed that cousin of yours, even with your accidental magic."

Everyone had to chuckle a bit at that, and Stephen put in, "I have to agree that it's not harmed you, at least not aside from leaving you with that scar. Jase… Healer Abbot didn't mention anything amiss when he saw you that time. The only thing he'd mentioned being wrong was the malnutrition and the weakened bones that he gave you those potions for."

Harry nodded. "I guess. So what are we going to do?" Remus seconded that question with a nod.

"Well, I think we'd probably best consult with Lucius," Sirius said slowly. "When the Unspeakables transferred the soul-bits from two of the items we'd found… they were Salazar Slytherin's locket and Helga Hufflepuff's chalice, and so no one wanted to destroy them in order to destroy the horcruxes… You Know Who sort of manifested in some way. I'm not really sure what happened, but it assumed we were his followers trying to bring him back, and it gave us some information. It helped that Lucius was smart enough to pretend that was exactly what he was doing, when that manifestation spoke to him. Anyway, it told us where he'd hidden his notes on the subject, and Lucius said afterwards that he might have some information as to where exactly that place is. That would be quite helpful; Circe knows I've scoured the library here and not found anything especially helpful."

"Did you also learn the spell to transfer the soul-bit into something else?" Remus asked.

Sirius shook his head. "No, I didn't. I would have liked to, but I didn't want to raise any questions by asking to learn as I did for the one to identify a horcrux. I'm not an auror anymore, nor an unspeakable, so I figured I was pushing my luck enough by asking about the identification spell, you know?"

Stephen nodded. "True enough. But that means we'll likely have to involve the DMLE and the Unspeakables, doesn't it?"

"Probably," Sirius agreed. "I don't like it, as that's more people who will know that we're spending time with Harry, but I don't see a way 'round it either."

"Well, since the Malfoys wanted Draco home early so they could bring him along on the calls they were making today, we won't likely get hold of Lucius before tomorrow," Remus said. "So I suggest we come up with something fun to do to get our minds off it for a bit. How about we figure out one of the games you got from Princess Diana, Harry?"

"All right," Harry said. He ran up to his room to grab the game Risk, and the four spent an enjoyable couple of hours battling for control of the world.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next morning, Sirius and Stephen flooed over to Malfoy Manor to consult with Lucius while Remus and Harry worked on a potion. After listening to what they had to say, the aristocratic man frowned thoughtfully. "So, even a healer found nothing odd about the scar, and even I can see that the boy is in no way evil or power hungry. We may want to hold off on involving anyone else, at least until we've located the ring and the diadem that we heard mentioned, not to mention those notes. I think the biggest risk in getting the horcrux out of Harry will be to keep the spirit from possessing him, so it may be that with the notes, we'll have an easier time preventing that."

"Oh, you're right," Sirius said. "I hadn't thought about that part."

"Well, that's understandable enough," Lucius said. "But also, it might be best to get rid of the other two first, since that would presumably weaken the remaining pieces of the soul. We might also want to start teaching Harry the rudiments of occlumency. I know he's quite young for it, but he's a fairly quiet and introspective child from what I've seen, so he may show a knack for it. If he gains the ability to close off his mind from intrusion, it will be far less likely for the spirit to succeed in possessing him if it tries, and you know it will most probably do just that. Especially if it realises that Harry is the baby he'd tried to kill on that night."

"Merlin," Stephen muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So you're saying that for now, we just pretend the horcrux isn't there? Go on as we would if we didn't know about it?"

"Exactly," Lucius agreed. "We monitor the situation, but from what you've said, it seems that the soul piece has walled itself off in some way within Harry; it's not affecting him in any way that we can see. So for the time being, we simply continue on as we have been, and only after the other two have been dealt with do we attempt to do anything about this one."

Sirius sighed. "Well, I don't like it, but I don't see that we've much choice either," he said. "But you're right that we're just not prepared to deal with it at the moment. Not until we manage to locate those notes and the other horcruxes. Especially as we need to return Harry to his aunt's this evening, as his school resumes classes tomorrow."

"Draco is looking forward to hearing more about Harry's school," Lucius said with a smile. "Would you believe he said this morning that he'd like to have muggle history and science lessons along with his usual tutoring? It had something to do with those films you showed him when he stayed over at your place for New Year's Eve, Stephen, although I wasn't quite sure what he was on about. Something about muggles being able to fly to the moon already, and that's due to them trying to turn their fictions into reality… it didn't make much sense to me, but then again, I'm fairly certain he left out several relevant points."

Stephen chuckled. "Very likely. It has to do with muggles seeing fiction as something of a challenge… that just because something isn't currently true doesn't mean that someone can't find a way to make it true. Sirius used aeroplanes as an example… that a hundred years ago, muggles thought it was impossible to build a machine that could fly under its own power. Eighty-six years ago, a pair of Americans, the Wright brothers, managed to build a powered flying machine. Sure, that one only flew for a minute or so, and a few hundred feet, but it was a start. Today we have aeroplanes that can carry a hundred passengers or more from London to New York City in America, and they can do it in about half the time it takes the Hogwarts Express to get from King's Cross Station to Hogsmeade."

"Really?" Lucius looked surprised. "I mean, I never took Muggle Studies, but I knew from housemates who did that muggles had some sort of flying machines although I was under the impression that they were fairly small and couldn't go all that far."

"Well, that's why you need to get Remus to do an upgrade on the Muggle Studies textbooks, once he's done with the Wizarding Culture texts," Sirius chuckled, always willing to put in a good word for his best friend. "I understand they're still using the ones from when we were in school, and I remember Lily looking at James' and my books and being disgusted at how out-of-date they were even back then. About fifty years out of date, from what she said. Persuading Dumbledore to hire an actual muggleborn to teach the class would likely help as well, since they'll have personal knowledge of the muggle world and won't just be teaching from the books." He paused as a thought occurred to him. "Stephen, how difficult would it be to get Draco into Harry's school, do you know?"

The younger man tilted his head in thought. "Well, he'd have to live… or at least appear to live… within the neighbourhood. Mind, not necessarily right near where Harry lives, as we wouldn't want to risk the Figg woman seeing him, but mostly it would be a matter of filling out some paperwork. Since he's been homeschooled, he'd need to be tested to determine which form he'd be placed in… he might have to go in with the younger students if he hasn't got high enough marks in everything, just so he wouldn't have trouble keeping up. Why, what are you thinking?"

"Assuming you'd agree, Lucius, maybe between us all, we could get Draco caught up in time for next school year and figure out some way of letting him attend that last year of muggle primary school with Harry," the animagus suggested. "I bet it would do quite a bit of good once he's at Hogwarts, too, if he as the son of a respected pureblood family can get along well with muggleborn students. It might even push some of… well, look… I know how you feel about things now, but I don't know who if any of your, um, your former associates… if any of them feel the way you do now, or if they've still got the same views as back then. Maybe this is stupid of me, but I can't help but hope that if their kids see Draco being nice to muggleborns, those kids will do the same, or at least not be berks towards the muggleborns. You know, follow his example, especially as even I know you're still a power to be reckoned with in society and within the Ministry… once the kids start following Draco's example, maybe their parents will start following yours."

Lucius narrowed his eyes as he considered the possibilities. "Well, I do know that since Narcissa told her friends about the muggle pregnancy healer and how there's something to be done to help bring this one to term, at least three of them are looking into doing the same if she delivers successfully. Obviously that's not all of my former associates, but it does appear that at least some are willing to rethink their views. Perhaps all that was needed was someone willing to be the first to make the change and go public with it. I don't want to make a decision on the matter just yet, but would you two and Remus be willing to help Draco with his studies so that he could be in Harry's form?"

"Of course," Stephen answered promptly. "I do have my own classes at uni to consider, but I'm sure I can schedule in some time for tutoring Draco, especially as I don't need to try to hold down a job at the same time now that I've claimed the Brevin inheritance."

Sirius grinned. "Well, I don't know how much help I'll actually be, given that I don't know all that much about the muggle world, and what I do know is more practical than book learning. But I don't have anything aside from taking my seat on the Wizengamot when it opens for the new session. And I'm sure Remus will pitch in as well. Since he worked at that bookstore, I do know that he'll know the best books for Draco to study from to get him caught up to where he'll need to be."

"And the cost of such books is not an issue, of course," Lucius said. "All right, well, ask Remus if he'd be so kind as to pick out some books to get Draco started in muggle science and history, if you would, and tell him to save the receipts so I can recompense him for them. If Draco hasn't lost all interest in learning such things in two or three months, we'll look into the possibility of enrolling him with Harry. Also, and partially relating to this discussion, would you be willing to do some traveling, Sirius? As you're the one of us with the most time to spare at the moment."

"I don't see why not, as long as it won't interfere with seeing Harry on the weekends," Sirius said. "Where am I supposed to go and what am I doing once I'm there?"

"I want you to look over magical schools outside of Europe. Particularly the ones in other English-speaking parts of the world, but I'd like to get something of an overview for the Hogwarts board, of what's being taught elsewhere. I've heard some rumblings about some coming changes to the curriculum at both Durmstrang and Beauxbatons in an effort to stay competitive, yet Dumbledore seems content to leave things as they've always been at Hogwarts. As respected as the man is," Lucius sneered, "it's next to impossible to get people to consider that he even might be wrong on anything. Even I won't deny that the old man has done quite a bit for our world," he said grudgingly, "but I don't want my son getting a substandard education because one doddering fool can't see past his bowl of sweets to notice how bad things are becoming. The issue with the Defense teachers over the last few decades, for example. "

"It was a bit patch-worked, wasn't it?" Sirius said thoughtfully. "New teachers every year for whatever reason. Not that I thought much about it back when we were in school, mind, but looking back… no, it wasn't the best situation. Of course, when we were there, that's when You Know Who was really starting to push his agenda, so I think most of us just figured Dumbledore was doing the best he could with what he could find. That's still going on, then?"

Lucius snorted. "Merlin, yes! It's to the point where the board members are wagering as to what will cause each year's candidate for the post to leave. Oh, sometimes we know going in that whoever will be teaching is only there for the year, as various aurors have taken a leave from the DMLE to teach for a year. But you name it, it's pulled teachers away from the post… better job offers elsewhere, family crises, personal illness or even death, legal issues ranging from thievery to the teacher in question being caught in flagrante with a student. No actual paedophiles, thank all the gods; both times it happened, the student in question was a seventh year and of age. But still. That's not something any responsible person wants going on in a school! Especially as one of those instances involved the teacher in question offering 'extra credit' to the students he found attractive, in exchange for sexual favours."

Sirius and Stephen both frowned at that. Stephen shook his head as he asked, "Doesn't the wizarding world do background checks on the teachers? Muggle schools do, at least as far as checking with the police to be sure the applicant for the post hasn't got a criminal record. Or at least, hasn't anything more serious than a few traffic violations."

"I never heard of anyone doing background checks," Lucius said. "Certainly not as far as going to the DMLE or the aurors and asking if the person in question has a criminal record. For the most part, when Dumbledore says he trusts the person, enough members of the board give their approval that said person is hired, because they trust Dumbledore. You know how that goes. He's been headmaster for so many years now that it never occurs to anyone that the old man might make the easy choice rather than do his very best to do what's right for the school."

Sirius shook his head. "The more you talk, Lucius, the less pleased I am at the thought of Harry going to Hogwarts. And that's leaving aside the fact that we know Dumbledore is the one behind Harry being placed with his aunt's family and not getting me a trial and all that."

"So, help me fix things," Lucius told his wife's cousin. "That's the whole point of sending you abroad. I particularly want to know about the American and Canadian schools, but I'm also curious about the schools in Australia and New Zealand. For that matter, I wouldn't mind if you picked up any information about schools in Asia and South America, but it's the English-speaking schools I most want to know about. As I understand it, the culture in those countries is close enough to ours that it would be much easier to adapt what they are doing in their schools to suit our needs here in Britain."

"I should think so," Sirius nodded.

A house elf popped in just then. "Master Lucees, sir? Mistress Narssi bes asking Sudee to bes telling him it bes time to leave for muggle healers, sir," she said.

Stephen smiled. "I take it you're comfortable going to the doctor without me in tow now?"

Lucius smiled. "The doctor said they would be doing that ammo-centistis thing today, and putting in that circle-lodge thing. Cissa thinks she'll be fine even without you there to translate, though."

Stephen chuckled. "Amniocentesis, and a cerclage," he corrected the older man. "But that's good that she feels comfortable enough now. I wish you both the best. Are you going to find out if you're having a boy or a girl?"

Lucius chuckled. "Thank you, and I don't know. I told Cissa it was up to her if she wanted to know what we're having, but last I knew, she hadn't decided."

"Well, good luck with it," Sirius said as he headed for the floo with Stephen behind him.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Back at Grimmauld Place, Stephen and Sirius praised the forgetfulness potion Harry had made under Remus' tutelage, and filled in the pair as to what Lucius had advised. Remus made a list of books that Harry would find useful for learning occulmency, although as none of the three were proficient in the art, actual lessons would have to come from Lucius. The werewolf then made a second list of books to help Draco pass muggle school placement exams well enough to be put into Harry's form, assuming that he would be interested in attending school with Harry the following year. After promising Harry that they'd pick up the beginning occlumency books before they saw him next, they had some lunch and then played a round of Monopoly, which Stephen won.

Soon enough, though, it was time for Harry and Stephen to depart, as they had to stop by Tesco before returning to Privet Drive, to restock Harry's food supplies. After hugging Remus and his godfather goodbye, Harry reluctantly climbed into Stephen's car. As they pulled onto the motorway, Stephen asked, "Are you all right?"

Harry sighed. "Well… I don't want to go back to Aunt Petunia's, of course. And even though you and Lord Malfoy and Sirius all say it isn't causing a problem, I can't help but worry about that horcrux thing in my head."

Stephen reached over and ruffled the boy's hair. "I can't say I blame you on that. On either of them, really. I can only imagine how awful it must be to know that you've got a loving home waiting for you, but you can't move into it just yet. And honestly, the whole idea of horcruxes just gives me the collywobbles, so I'm sure it's much, much worse for you."

"Exactly," Harry agreed. "I mean, I guess it makes sense that it's not doing anything bad to me, since it's been there all along. But… yeah, collywobbles."

"What you need, is something to take your mind from it," Stephen said. "Do you think your aunt would allow you to have a caged pet in your room? I know a cat or a dog would be right out, as they'd be too likely to make a mess in the house. But maybe a gerbil or some such?"

The boy considered this. "I don't know… I don't think she'd say yes if I asked, but maybe if you did? Although… Dudley hasn't got a pet, so I don't know if she'd let me have one when he doesn't. He hates it when he thinks I'm getting a privilege he isn't. The only reason he's not upset about me going off with you each weekend, is that he thinks you're giving me lessons like an extra day of school." He grinned a bit. "He'd go spare if he knew what sort of fun we have."

Stephen chuckled. "I believe it! Well, here's a question then; would you be willing to buy him a pet as well? As your aunt is feeding you properly, you've used much less than we first budgeted for your food, so you've got quite a bit more in your account than we'd figured at this point. You can always call it a late Christmas gift, since you wanted to clear it with her before buying it for him."

"I suppose I could," Harry said with a shrug. "I hate to, because I don't think he'll take proper care of it, but the money part doesn't bother me."

"Maybe you'll be lucky, and he'll want a goldfish," Stephen said with a grin. "They're hard to kill off."

Harry chuckled. "You'll ask Aunt Petunia with me, then?"

"Absolutely. And who knows? If she likes the gifts you got her and your cousin, it might make her more inclined to say yes," Stephen said.

In Surrey, they stopped off for curry, then went to Tesco, where Harry bought more bread and sliced meats and cheese, granola bars, and apples. When they reached Privet Drive, Stephen helped him carry his grocery bags, suitcase, and cartons of gifts up to his room. Then they headed down to the kitchen, where Petunia was just finishing the washing up after her evening meal. Dudley could be heard in the sitting room, playing a new video game and whining loudly every time he lost.

"Mrs. Dursley?" Stephen said.

Petunia turned. "Yes, Mr. Coyner?"

"Harry was thinking about getting some sort of small pets for himself and Dudley, with your permission, of course," Stephen said. "He had thought about getting them as Christmas gifts, but didn't want to give his cousin a pet only to find out that you didn't want pets for some reason or other."

She frowned. "Dudders does want a pet," she said slowly. "But the cost… it isn't just the pet itself, but food and veterinary care and the like. As it is I've had to cut back on some of the snacks Dudley likes, because I'm simply not as well off as before Vernon's passing. I don't know that I could afford the upkeep."

Harry spoke up. "A small animal like a gerbil or a goldfish wouldn't cost that much, I should think. I'll buy the food for Dudley's pet as well as for mine out of my stipend," he offered. The more he'd thought about having a pet, the more he wanted one, and didn't want his aunt to object.

"You would?" Petunia was struck once more by her nephew's generosity. The Lego set he'd given Dudley for Christmas was a large Star Wars themed one, and the boy's gift to her was a beautiful DKNY handbag; one which she had circled in a catalogue back in the spring, although she'd given up on any thought of getting it after Vernon died. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure," Harry said with a smile. "The pet, whatever it needs to get set up at first, and food."

"All right, then, Harry, you and Dudley may get pets," she decided. "When do you intend to get them?"

Harry looked at Stephen, who smiled. "My uni classes don't resume until next week," he said. "I can come here tomorrow when the boys are due home from school, and take them to a pet shop then, if that's all right with you, Mrs. Dursley."

"That's fine," Petunia said. "Let me call Dudley in to give him the news." She moved to the doorway of the kitchen. "Diddyums, come in here for a moment."

"Aww!" could be heard over the sound of the video game. "I almost beat that level! Why'd you have to interrupt?" Dudley came stomping towards the kitchen. "And why are the freak and his teacher here?"

"Harry lives here," Petunia pointed out to her son, "and Mr. Coyners is dropping him off from his holiday. As for why I called you, Duddikins, Mr. Coyner is going to take you and Harry out tomorrow so each of you can get a small pet."

"Really, Mummy? I thought you said we couldn't afford a pet," Dudley said eagerly.

"Really, Diddy darling," she said. "It's a late Christmas gift, as Mr. Coyner wanted to be sure I didn't mind before he took you shopping."

"Great," Dudley grunted. "I want a rat. Piers has a rat, and I think it's brilliant." He waddled back to the sitting room without waiting for an answer.

Stephen refrained from shaking his head at the fat boy's lack of manners. "All right, then, Harry, I'll see you here after school tomorrow. Take care. Mrs. Dursley, good night."

Petunia gave the young man a small smile. "Good night, Mr. Coyner," she said as he left. "And Harry? Thank you for that lovely handbag," she said awkwardly.

"You're welcome, Aunt Petunia," Harry said with a smile. "And thank you for the photo album. I especially like the pictures of you and my mum together as girls. Good night." He headed up to get ready for bed so that he could retreat to his room before his cousin came upstairs.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Earlier that same day…

Narcissa held her husband's hand tightly as she lay on the exam table at the doctor's. "I'm so scared," she whispered.

"You'll be fine, Cissa, I'm sure of it," her husband soothed. "Dr. Gardner will make sure of it."

As he spoke, a gentle rap sounded on the door just before it was pushed open. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," Dr. Gardner said cheerfully as she stepped into the room followed by two nurses. "Are we ready for the amniocentesis and the cerclage?"

"As ready as I can be," Narcissa said, her voice a little shaky.

The doctor smiled and patted Narcissa's free hand. "You'll be fine. We're going to do the ultrasound first, so we can see where there's a good pocket of fluid for the amnio. I'll use a topical anesthetic, so while you might feel some pressure when I stick you, it won't hurt. As soon as I draw the sample, it'll go straight to the laboratory for the testing. Whilst the technicians are doing that, I'll put the cerclage in place. Then you get to relax until the tests are done, which shouldn't be more than half an hour from the time I'm done doing the cerclage." Her smile widened. "And did you decide if you want to know the sex of the baby?"

Narcissa nodded. "Yes, I do want to know." She gave her husband a small smile, adding, "We have to know what to try for next time, assuming everything works out well this time."

The nurse spreading the ultrasound gel on Narcissa's slightly rounded belly gave a chuckle. "I see you're being ambitious," she said.

"And why not?" Lucius asked. "I think we'd both like to see this baby with a sibling close in age. And while I know my wife would like a daughter to dress up like a little princess, I think our son would like a little brother that he can mentor and teach sports and such." He fell silent as the other nurse shut off the lights and everyone turned their attention to the screen of the ultrasound machine. "It looks a lot more like a baby now, doesn't it?" he commented after a moment.

That drew a laugh from all three of the medical personnel. "Yes, it does," Dr. Gardner agreed. "Oh, there's a good pocket… hold it right there," she told the nurse holding the stick to Narcissa's belly. The other nurse rubbed a different gel onto Narcissa's belly and then opened a sealed packet containing a very large needle. Dr. Gardner prodded Narcissa with one gloved finger. "Does that hurt?" she asked.

"No," Narcissa answered.

"Good," the doctor said. Taking the needle from the nurse, she carefully and slowly plunged it in, keeping her eyes on the monitor in case the baby moved. Once she was satisfied, she attached a test tube to the back end of the needle, filling it with the amniotic fluid. After handing the test tube off to the nurse, she gently withdrew the needle and dropped it into the sharps disposal box while holding a gauze pad over the puncture to stop any bleeding. As the nurse vanished with the test tube, Dr. Gardner stuck an elastoplast over the gauze. The other nurse shut off the ultrasound machine and turned on the lights before helping Narcissa reposition herself with her feet up in the stirrups. "This will be a bit uncomfortable," Dr. Gardner warned. "Even with the local anesthetic, most women say they feel some soreness, probably due to the speculum." She inserted the instrument and did the usual exam before injecting the anesthetic. Narcissa clutched her husband's hand more tightly as she tried to stay relaxed, staring fixedly at the ceiling, where a poster of a kitten dangling from a tree branch and captioned, 'Hang in there, kid!' was mounted. For his part, Lucius kept his attention on his wife's face, for once in his life not wanting to know the details of what was happening at the other end of the table. The doctor and nurse murmured the occasional word to each other as they worked efficiently together, and in just over thirty minutes, Dr. Gardner removed the speculum. "All done. But don't try to move just yet, the anesthetic likely has your legs a bit weak for a bit." She pulled the sheet back over Narcissa's legs. "Just relax for now. You'll probably be ready to move just about the same time as your amnio results are in." She stripped off her gloves and tossed them in the bin and wrote something on Narcissa's chart before exiting the room.

The nurse puttered around, cleaning up the debris from the procedures before helping Narcissa shift to a more comfortable position on the exam table with her feet back out of the stirrups. She checked her watch and said, "Your results are probably up now. How are you feeling?"

Narcissa took stock. "A little shaky and sore, but otherwise fine," she said.

"All right, then, why don't you try sitting up? Slowly, though, in case you get dizzy," the nurse said.

With Lucius' help, Narcissa sat up carefully and took a deep breath. "All right, I still feel fine." She wiggled her toes and flexed her ankles. "My legs seem all right as well."

"Go ahead and dress, then," the nurse said, providing a towel to remove the ultrasound gel from Narcissa's abdomen. "I'll go see if your results are up whilst you do." She bustled out of the room.

A few moments after Narcissa had gotten her clothes back on, Dr. Gardner tapped at the door and stepped in, her expression pleased. "Good news," she told them. "There's no signs of any genetic abnormalities, nor of any other physical issues. As of right now, your little girl seems to be in perfect health."

"Our… little girl?" Lucius said in a husky voice, placing a gentle hand on the slight swell of his wife's belly. "We're having a daughter? And she's really all right?" Narcissa sagged in relief, tears springing to her eyes as she placed her hand over his.

Used to this sort of reaction, Dr. Gardner just smiled. "Yes, you're having a daughter. And since I know you're barely hearing anything else right now, here's a list of instructions to follow for the next couple of days." She handed Lucius a folded sheet of paper. "Mostly, it's just what symptoms to watch for, in case there are any complications with the cerclage, not that I expect any. Take paracetemol if you're in any discomfort for the rest of the day, and take it easy. You don't have to actually stay in bed, Mrs. Malfoy, but don't walk around much for the next couple of days, and sit with your feet up whenever possible.

"Do you… do you have a better idea when she'll be born?" Narcissa asked tremulously.

"Well, ideally, she'll be born somewhere between the end of June and the middle of July," the doctor replied. "However, the cerclage isn't a complete cure-all when it comes to an incompetent cervix, so it's likely that even with that, she'll come a little sooner than that. Our goal is to keep her right where she is until at least the first week in June. We'll be keeping an eye on you both the whole time. And of course, if she needs it, we've got the foremost NICU centre in Britain. Obviously we'd all prefer she doesn't need it, but it is there just in case. As I recall from your history, your son was about eight weeks early, yes? And he's healthy now, even without modern medical support as an infant. Our NICU has helped babies born as much as fourteen weeks early, most of whom are thriving now, without any major medical issues. I don't want you doing that much walking today, but if you'd like, the next time you're in for a checkup, I can arrange for you to tour the NICU so you can see for yourselves just what we can do."

Narcissa considered that offer. "I don't know," she said honestly. "Part of me wants to, for the reassurance. And part of me is scared to, because I don't know how I'll react. I still have bouts of nervousness just coming in here, as I'm so unused to modern medicine in general."

Dr. Gardner patted her shoulder. "Well, think about it, you don't have to decide right this moment. I'm going to ask you to start coming in every other week instead of once a month, so we can monitor things with the cerclage. So there's plenty of time for that tour, if you decide you want it. Set up your next appointment on the way out, and either I or Dr. Fenton will see you then." She smiled and stepped out.

Lucius and Narcissa stopped at the reception desk to make the next appointment, and headed out to the car in silence. But when they were almost home, Narcissa suddenly smiled. "A girl, Lucius. We're having a baby girl."

-

A/N: Never having had an amnio or required a cerclage, I'm best-guessing both procedures and trying to gloss over the details in general. Please forgive any inaccuracies.

Secondly, Royal Ward is now up-to-date on all archives!

Finally, it's that time of year again... NaNoWriMo! Unless I get seriously ahead of my daily word count goal, the next chapter won't happen until sometime in December. But I promise, no abandoning this story!